3 posts tagged “gnostic”

Our friend Bishop T Allen Greenfield returns to the show to talk about Gnostic history and philosophy.

Dr. Greenfield is particularly well-qualified to discuss this subject considering his extensive experience in Gnostic churches serving as bishop. Our conversation covers the definition of Gnosis and Gnostic, the history of ancient sects, the philosophy through the ages, modern permutations of the Gnostic doctrine, and Dr. Greenfield’s own personal lineage.

Notable points include differing perspectives on the concept of the Demiurgus and the resultant differences in the views on body and spirit, the secret societies and esoteric orders that have carried the Wisdom, and Apostolic succession.

“These are mysteries, O Israel,
Difficult to understand.
With much searching shalt thou still fail
To grasp them,
Unless thy search be rightly prosecuted.
Yet the Way to Understanding is ever open
To him who will follow it steadfastly.
It is the Way of the Heart,
And thou shalt be guided therein
By thine own inner Hearing.”

- Paul Foster Case from “The Meditation on Vav” in “The Book of Tokens”

relevant links:

Smashing Illusions - Dr. T Allen Greenfield’s Livejournal web site

The Assembly of the Knowledge and Wisdom of Solomon

“T Allen Greenfield’s Spiritual and Fraternal Heritage”

Ecclesia Gnostica Universalis

The North American College of Gnostic Bishops

previous appearances - “Podcast 35 - An Inquiry Into Suppressed Information“, “Podcast 31 - Scrying the Universe“, and “Podcast 17 - The Secret Cipher”

“Victorian Fire: The Origins of Sexual Magick” by T Allen Greenfield

“Fragments of a Faith Forgotten: The Gnostics, a Contibution to the Study of the Origins of Christianity” by G.R.S. Mead

“Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism” by Kurt Rudolph

“Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times” by Roelof van den Broek

intro music by HipGnosis

outro music by The Quiet Earth Orchestra, excerpt of “God” (thanks to John Ludi)

clipped from egina2.blogspot.com [DISCLAIMER: Very difficult to do this sort of thing without resorting to clichés, so bear in mind that most "orthodox" perspectives are extremely well reasoned by some of the greatest thinkers of Western Civilization over millennia and are not to be dismissed out of hand. This is merely a shorthand for pointing out some of the key differences between Gn interpretation and "traditional" interpretation.]

On March 17, a date now celebrated everywhere as St. Patrick's Day - the day that St. Patrick drove the Serpents from the Blessed Isle, was the same date in 1244 that many of the perfecti of the gnostic Cathars were burned to death after the fall of their fortress of Montsegur to the siege of the Inquisition.

Hancock & Bauval's excellent book, Talisman, tells the story of the Albigensian Crusade, a battle not only for life and death, but for men's eternal souls. One of the reasons why the Cathars in Occitania had been able to hold out since the French occupation began in 1229 was the natural defenses of the mountaintop fortress of Montsegur. The perfecti would often flee to their safe haven from the Inquisition and it's murderous minions. This place stood as a symbol of their resistance and endurance in the face of violence and religious and spiritual persecution.

The event that supposedly began the downfall of Montsegur was when, in May of 1242, the lord of the castle, Peter Roger of Mirepoix, sent assassins to Avignonet to kill the Inquisitors. They claimed to have done it to extinguish the Inquisition altogether, but it had just the opposite effect. The siege of Montsegur began a year later and was over in 10 months. Hundreds of perfecti, the clergy of the Cathars - considered holy men and women, were dragged out of the castle and down the mountain to be burned alive. The French crusaders created a little Hell on Earth.

Is it just a coincidence that the date this event occurred on is March 17 and that this date is commemorated the world over as a (semi) religious holiday named for a saint? Were the gnostic Cathar perfecti the Serpents, and Montsegur their Blessed Isle?

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